'iWatch in 60 Days or Bust' Analyst Claims Apple Developing a 3D Printer

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry has made a number of outlandish predictions when it comes to Apple, and his latest claim is that Apple is preparing to enter the 3D printer market. Chowdhry shared his thoughts with Benzinga, outlining his belief that Google is pursuing a 3D printer project based on its expectations that Apple will be making a similar move.

Chowdhry provides little to no details on Apple's 3D printing plans, citing only the company's experience in hardware and its intellectual property covering the technology as substantiation for his prediction.

Quote:

"It's either Apple or Microsoft [that inspired Google]," Chowdhry told Benzinga. "But developers feel that Apple is probably the focus for Google because Google considers Apple to be its prime competitor, not Microsoft. And Google really sees Apple to be a strong competitor, not Microsoft, because Microsoft has a lot of issues to worry about." [...]

"Apple does have intellectual property [in that space]," said Chowdhry. "And they often have more expertise in hardware development than, say, Microsoft has."

Chowdhry also points to Apple's acquisition of PrimeSense last year, with that firm's 3D sensors made famous for their role in the original Microsoft Kinect perhaps playing a role in Apple's 3D printing ambitions.

As for timing, Chowdhry doesn't specify anything for Apple but speculates that Google could announce its 3D printing intentions this June or October with product launches coming a full 12-18 months later.

As if the unsubstantiated claims and seemingly nonsensical predictions weren't enough to essentially dismiss the report as fanciful thinking, Chowdhry has a history of making grandiose claims. Freshest in many people's memories is his claim earlier this year that Apple had 60 days to introduce the iWatch or the company "will disappear" as it proves itself unable to innovate in the post-Jobs era. Chowdhry's deadline comes next Monday, with no sign of an imminent iWatch announcement.

Freshest in many people's memories is his claim earlier this year that Apple had 60 days to introduce the iWatch or the company "will disappear" as it proves itself unable to innovate in the post-Jobs era. Chowdhry's deadline comes next Monday, with no sign of an imminent iWatch announcement.

What might happen is,* we will all download the iWatch from iTunes and then 3D-print it out ourselves in the next 72 hours or so, or else Apple will cease to exist as they fail to live up to the predictions of one guy.

*probably not though.

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I really wish Apple would use the option key a little more, and the command key a little less.*soundcloud/fdporco*

I hate all these 'analyst' claims that Apple is no longer innovative as its now "post Jobs". These guys are supposed to know their field. Jobs himself referenced they thought of the idea of the iPad BEFORE the iPhone. Both these products took YEARS to develop. Apple don't just dream these up over night and release that year...

Jobs himself also said during the presentation of the original iPhone "People are lucky if they get to deliver one of these into the market". Great design starts with a problem. Apple themselves know that if they're fixing a problem that doesn't exist people won't buy it.

Now people expect Apple to churn a revolutionary product every year - or Apple will collapse as a company.

Well, it's certainly one of the more novel suggestions for "new product categories" out there.

Can't see it happening, though. Apple keeps themselves limited to a very small set of products at any one time, and I don't think the market for these types of devices will be big enough in the near term for Apple to devote its energy to producing anything other than proof-of-concept for future products.